Yassine and company entered the bedroom.
Yassine saw what looked like a body covered by a white bedsheet to the left of the bed and to the right he saw what could only be described as a large black cocoon.
“Well? What happened?” David asked Kiochi who looked like he had been through hell.
“The Takahashi’s were attacked by an S ranked Kynigoi.” Kiochi said.
Everyone other than Rin and his mother gasped.
“Impossible! The highest attainable rank for all Kynigoi is A.” Dr. Tahiri exclaimed.
Kiochi shook his head.
“I thought so too. But there are S ranked Kynigoi out there and the one who caused this was an old classmate of mine… Izanagi.” Kiochi explained.
Silence befell the room.
The concept of humans stronger than A ranked Kynigoi completely shook everyone.
Yassine looked into Kiochi’s eyes. Kiochi looked worn out and tired, this was the worst he'd ever seen him. But even though they barely knew each other, Yassine had a pretty good idea about what kind of person Kiochi was, so seeing his like this was suprising to say the least.
Yassine wondered if the group would be able to function while its strongest piece was in such a state.
“We’ll worry about the finer details later. But for now, we must leave Tokyo.” Yassine said.
“You’re right. I’m sorry Mrs. Takahashi, but we’re leaving Tokyo for the time being. Do you have anyone you can contact? Friends, family?” Ichika asked as Mrs. Takahashi looked back and fourth between Rin and Kiochi, then back at Ichika.
“No. Will it be fine if I come with you?” She asked weakly.
“I see no problem with that.” Ichika replied in her usual monotone voice. Kiochi walked out of the room as everyone did their best to comfort Mrs. Takahashi as she packed her things.
Kiochi walked towards the furthest corner of the training hall and sat. So much was going on that Kiochi had trouble processing everything.
Usually the council would give him orders and he would execute them, but now Yamamoto was being held under the custody of the police and Mrs. Takahashi had just died.
It was too much. Not to mention that Eve wasn’t responding to his thoughts.
Kiochi sighed.
“You ok?” Kiochi heard a voice ask from the training halls entrance.
The voice belonged to David.
“Not really.” Kiochi admitted as David walked up to him and leaned against the nearby wall.
“I see. You wanna tell me about this Izanagi person? I’m quite curious about the S ranked Kynigoi.” David said.
Kiochi sighed again. More deeply this time as he thought back to his time as a child.
“Izanagi was the talkative type.” Kiochi said.
“He always stood out and often got in trouble with the instructor’s. He wasn’t the smartest or the strongest, but he still quite popular.” Kiochi continued.
“There was this girl he was close to. Her name was Ena and they spent most of their time together, although looking back, I don’t think their relationship was the romantic kind." Kiochi said.
“I see. So why did he attack the Takahashi’s? My first thought was that he was sent by the council, but why would the council use such indirect measures to get to you or Yamamoto?” David wondered.
“It’s probably because of me.” Kiochi said.
“Oh? And why would he hate you so much so to harm the Takahashi’s?” David asked.
“I’m not sure. According to Izanagi, something happened during a certain training exercise and he blames me for it. But to be completely honest with you, I don’t remember doing anything wrong.” Kiochi said.
“Mmm…” David let out a deep hum.
“You fought him. How much stronger than you do you think he is?” David asked.
“Well, even though I wasn’t using all of my abilities, he still managed to do… this.” Kiochi said as he lifted the torn remains of his shirt.
David could see large bruises and patches of discolored skin.
“He is strong. Stronger than what is humanly possible. The council did something to him… to them. All of the S ranked Kynigoi are modified to an extreme extent. I fought one in Vestibule Charlie but his strength pales in comparison to the strength Izanagi has.” Kiochi explained.
David’s eyes narrowed.
Some time passed as the two sat in silence. Most of the dojos lights were off and so Kiochi and David were hidden within the darkness.
“Mr. Freeman are you there?”
David and Kiochi heard Yassine call.
“Yeah, in here.” David replied.
“It’s time to go.” Yassine noticed the two.
Kiochi got up and followed David to the dojos entrance. There, Kiochi saw the freshly dressed Mrs. Takahashi and although Kiochi had somehow managed to erase all of her physical scars, there was nothing that could be done for the mental trauma she experienced.
Everyone boarded the van and they made their way out of Tokyo.
.
..
After an hour or so of traveling along the countryside, Kiochi’s gaze finally fell upon what would be their home for the time being.
It was an abandoned public high school building that had long been abandoned since more parents were sending their children to private boarding schools. Although the building itself looked old, there were signs of renovation here and there.
Kiochi also spotted several trucks near the building.
Mrs. Takahashi had fallen asleep mere minutes into the journey and was now in the arms of the also slumbering Rin.
Kiochi’s heart sank when he saw the two embrace each other.
He felt an intense amount of pain in his chest when he thought about how Mr. Takahashi was alive only a day before.
Kiochi then realized that he was beginning to hate himself. But he couldn’t allow that to happen and so he focused his attention on Izanagi and the council.
The van came to a stop near the building entrance.
“Yassine, could you please wake up the Takahashi’s?” Kiochi asked as he exited the van.
Yassine did as he was told and the Takahashi’s eventually left the van.
Kiochi walked to the main entrance and knocked on the door once and not more than a minute later, the door opened.
“Good afternoon, commander Suzuki!” The mercenary known as Johan greeted with an exaggerated salute.
“Ease down. I’m not your commander yet. Where’s everyone else?” Kiochi asked as he entered the surprisingly clean school building.
“Oh, they’re waiting for you in the assembly hall. This way please.” Johan said as he guided Kiochi and company into the assembly hall.
There Kiochi was greeted by just over two dozen men, who all stood attentively.
No one spoke and all eye’s were on Kiochi.
Ichika walked forward and addressed the men.
“I’m sure all of you are aware that Yamamoto has been apprehended by the police and that the council seeks to silence him. But Mr. Saito has asked me to tell you that this changes nothing and that our mission to save humanity hasn’t changed. As of now, most of Mr. Saito’s assets and funds are currently being transferred into my accounts. This will allow us to continue out operations. More will be explained at a later date but for now I’d like to reintroduce our current commander, Kiochi Suzuki.” Ichika said as she walked away from the microphone.
walked up, allowing everyone present to gaze upon his disheveled state.
“Although I have accepted the post of commander, there is nothing that separates us. I am a soldier, just like you. I have already selected my lieutenant’s, all that’s left for us to do is prepare our next move against the council.” Kiochi said in a low voice.
“Our next target is Vestibule Beta. There our primary target will be the capture of Harold Barker. Our secondary objective will be the destruction of said Vestibule. That is all for now.” Kiochi said, but something was off.
Everyone still had their eyes on him and no one had moved an inch since he began speaking.
What do they want? Kiochi wondered as He looked into the eyes of his men.
They all awaited something, but Kiochi hadn't the slightest clue what exactly it was. He then looked back at the people he had arrived with.
Rin’s eyes were narrowed and oozing hostility, his mother wore a sad expression, Yassine looked nervous, David looked uninterested and Ichika was busy on her tablet.
Kiochi looked back at his men.
“What do you want? A pep talk? A rally cry? I’m afraid I might not be able to give you any of that. Lest you forget, we are going against the current world order. We are putting our lives at stake for a brighter future. Many of us will die and most of us will be forgotten, but the humans of tomorrow will enjoy the fruits of this great labor.” Kiochi declared clearly.
No one moved, which only added to Kiochi’s bewilderment.
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“The Aethon’s will come. They will set their judging eyes on mankind on the day of reckoning and it is we who will present them with mankind’s apology. Yes, you shall be the ones to prove mankind’s worth as a species.” Kiochi raised his voice slightly and gradually light began to fill the eyes of his soldiers.
What’s wrong with these guys? Do they want some sort of battle cry or something? Kiochi wondered.
“An appeal written in the blood our blood and marked on our backs shall be presented to the Aethon’s and on that day, mankind shall be spared.” Kiochi yelled.
Slowly, people here and there in the crowd slowly nodded their heads.
Mmm… Kiochi hummed internally as he thought about how to finish off his presentation.
‘Final form!’ he thought and his skin gradually darkened as two glorious horns emerged from his head.
For many, this would be the first time their eyes beheld Kiochi’s final form.
“Not for me, not for you. The foundation of the future our fingers will bleed to create will be for our children their children. For if we are to fail, mankind will cease to exist and it’ll be on our souls that this failure will be carved.”
Gasps and murmurs began to spread among Kiochi’s men as he assumed his final form.
It’s long black limbs and pitch black skin burned themselves into the minds of his men.
Kiochi didn’t let the membrane form around his head, but instead revealed his ink black eyes and razor sharp teeth.
[Maybe you didn’t hear me! If we fail then all is lost! So in our last ditch effort to save our species, join me oh soldiers of truth!]
Kiochi’s voice came out distorted and it sounded like two or more people were speaking from one mouth.
This must have moved his soldiers beyond words because most of them began applauding Kiochi while others broke down into tears.
The assembly hall was rapidly engulfed in cheers and applause and as Kiochi looked around, he could see the determination within the eyes of his men.
Kiochi took full advantage of the atmosphere and let out a shout of joy but to everyone’s surprise, it came out as a roar.
[ROAR!]
It sounded like a thousand thunders, yet had a charming fell to it.
More of Kiochi’s men broke into tears and even David had his brows raised high as the mood reached an all time high. The night following night would be filled with joy and the spirit of cooperation.
The school building was divided appropriately and Kiochi was given his own quarter’s. It wasn’t anything fancy. Yamamoto had used his foresight to create a backup base of operations. He turned the teachers offices into bedrooms and Kiochi was given the principals office which was on the third floor.
The Kynigoi were assigned to their own part of the school, whist Johan and his men had their own section.
This is what they'd use in the next phase of thier wae against the council.
.
..
A hotel in London
Tony and Camila had been in their room for about seven or so hours. They had been instructed to await further instructions, but other than that they were free to do whatever they wanted.
Tony’s primary concern was Izanagi and his fellow S ranked friends. They were abnormally strong and that wasn’t something Tony was comfortable with, because before if you were to have a random room full of people, Tony would most likely be the strongest. Tony knew that as long as he was on top of the food chain, less and less people would try to kill him.
The existence of S ranked Kynigoi shattered this train of thought and he was forced to accept the reality that there was always bigger fish in the sea that was the world.
[The Conclave of Nations will have a gathering in about two weeks time were they will discuss Yamamoto Saito’s trial, but many people across the world are still finding it hard to believe that the same man who helped the world in many of it’s darkest moments is the very man who wants to end it. Stick with this channel for-]
Tony switched the TV off and folded his legs as he made himself comfortable on the luxurious couch he found himself sitting on.
Tony didn’t like how the council was handling Yamamoto. In Tony’s eyes, it would have been better if they just killed him.
Instead they used him as a scapegoat for all that happened and what would happen.
Tony always preferred that things be as straight forward as possible, but it seems the council had no plans on playing fair.
Tony looked around the room till he found Camila. She was sitting on a stool in the kitchen area, snacking on whatever she could find.
Is she stress eating? He wondered.
“You ok? That’s like your fifteenth bag of chips.” Tony pointed out.
“I'm fine-"
“Hello everyone!” A man said as he barged into the hotel room.
Tony jumped off the couch only to see Izanagi standing by the door with his chest held high.
“Dammit! You scared the hell out of me!” Tony cried.
Camila was still downing her chips and laid very little attention as Izanagi took of his thick peach coat.
Izanagi then made himself comfortable and sat next to Tony who was sweating bullets at this point. He switched on the TV and proceeded to watch a children’s TV show. Tony eyed Izanagi suspiciously as he sat a little further away from him.
Izanagi was enthralled by the children’s TV show and it seemed as though he truly enjoyed every second of it.
Tony was about to get up and escape to his bedroom, but then Izanagi suddenly spoke.
“They don’t show this kinda stuff back at the centers.” He said softly.
“Yeah.” Tony said as he slowly got up.
He really wanted to avoid interacting with Izanagi as much as possible, but Izanagi had other plans.
“Children. Born and bred to kill. They turn us into monster’s. Have you ever wondered why?” Izanagi asked.
At this point Camila had stopped loudly chewing and started listening in on Tony and Izanagi’s conversation.
“To manage people.” Tony answered nervously.
“No. We were made to kill the Aethon’s come mankind’s day of reckoning.” Izanagi said coldly.
A chill crawled up Tony’s spine when he heard the word Aethon.
Tony, along with every wisdom holder and Kynigoi, was taught about how long ago man was gifted boundless knowledge by otherworldly beings and how they mysteriously vanished, but he didn’t know anything about being trained to fight Aethon’s or Izanagi’s supposed day of reckoning.
“What do you mean… how could we possibly fight the Aethon’s?” Tony asked as his shaking became more frantic. This wasn’t because he was weak willed. The thought of fighting a being that transcends time and space was enough to scare Tony.
“Look at yourself. Look at me, or her. We become less human with each iteration. Did you honestly think that the council would create an entire army of soldiers to deal with the likes of radical terrorists or the like? No. We are literal weapons, forged to be used in the coming war.” Izanagi said.
Tony’s soul trembled.
What is this maniac saying? He wondered.
“Coming war? What do you-"
“Izanagi! You’re in big trouble!” Tony heard as a short woman entered their hotel room. She wore a peach coat and was fully decked out in combat gear, just like Izanagi.
“Hey! Keep it down or I swear I’ll break one of your limbs.” Said a tall man with beautifully long black hair as he entered the room.
“I swear, you guy’s are like children sometimes.” Said an Asian man as he entered the room.
“What do you mean? If anyone is a child, it’s Emilia!” The first man said.
“How rude! I’ll have you know that I’m a distinguished woman." The woman referred to as Emilia said as she made herself comfortable on the couch right next to Izanagi.
“You know, for a noob, you mess up a lot.” Emilia said casually, but Izanagi paid her no mind and kept his eyes on the TV.
“Wait, um- who are you guy’s?” Tony asked.
“Who? Us? We’re Kynigoi. I thought that was obvious by now.” The second man said as he sat next to Camila in the kitchen area.
“He means our names Yu-Jun.” Emilia said as she poked Izanagi’s right cheek.
Tony’s eyes widened as a certain possibility in the farthest reaches of his mind began to materialize.
“Well, we’re the S ranked Kynigoi team. My name is Riley Menendez.” The man with long black hair introduced himself.
“Ugh, do we really have to do this?” Complained the man sitting next to Camila, who just watch everything unfold as she ate chips.
“Of course! We finally get to meet new people. It would be rude not to introduce ourselves.” Emilia said.
“Fine! If you must know, my name is Yu-Jun Park.” Yu-Jun said reluctantly.
“My name is Emilia Schreiber and you already know the greenhorn of the group, Izanagi Fujita.” The somewhat ditzy blond woman said as she ruffled her hands through Izanagi’s hair.
“What are your names?” Emilia asked.
“M- m- my name is Tony Martinez, rank A-2.” Tony stuttered.
“My name is Camila Rosenthal, rank A-1.” Camila said as though it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Why so nervous? And so formal? What did Izanagi do to you? Tell me now, so that I can crush him!” Emilia said asked loudly.
“Calm down Emilia. You’re getting a bit too exited again.” Riley cautioned.
“Yeah, remember the last time you-“ Yu-Jun suddenly shut his mouth.
Tony looked around the room and saw that everyone was dead silent and had their gazes on the door.
Tony turned to look and saw a tall handsome man wearing what looked like a butler’s uniform. Although for a butler his hair was far too finely combed, his uniform was more like a luxurious suit and he wore a pair of shockingly white gloves.
“At ease. Don’t worry about me, it’s good to unwind in times of turmoil.” The tall blond man said as he entered the room.
Everyone remained completely still as he took a seat in the kitchen area.
“Izanagi.” The man said and almost immediately, Izanagi shot up and gave a sharp salute.
“Yes sir.”
“I thought I was the one who was supposed to visit the Takahashi’s. Did the council perhaps change the plan without telling me?” The man asked.
Izanagi’s gaze was averted from starring directly at the man who appeared to his superior, but he didn’t look nervous.
“No sir! I just thought that since I was nearby, I’d take care of the Kiochi problem sir!” Izanagi reported.
What? Tony wondered.
“Is that so? Then tell me, did you kill Kiochi or perhaps dissuade him from further attacking the council.” The man asked.
His burning blue gaze seemingly burnt at Izanagi’s skin and one could almost tell that Izanagi was in some sort of pain.
“No… sir.” Izanagi admitted.
“I see. So not only did you fail with that, but we lost Hanzo and Mrs. Lebedev. Oh my, you’re not doing the best to show that you belong in our little team.” The man removed his gloves revealing rather manly hands.
He gestured at Camila and she shielded her bag of chips.
“Hehe, no. I meant to shake your hand. I don’t believe we’ve met before. My name is Dexter Jamison.” Dexter said as he shook Camila’s hand.
“Oh and don’t worry, I know all about you Camila Rosenthal. Oh and you too Tony.” Dexter said and somehow, tony felt physical weight in his words.
Dexter then got his own bag of chips and ate away, while Izanagi stood attentively.
“Izanagi, you turned our first mission into a complete mess. How do you suppose I explain this to the council?”
“Well-"
“Your problem is that you don’t think before you act. You never take time to consider the consequences of your actions and this has been a problem since day one. It’s a shame your combat skills are almost unmatched, but the way I see it Ms. Rosenthal over here would make a better teammate than you.” Dexter said as put down his bag of chips and wiped his hands with a nearby paper towel.
“I seriously don’t know what to do with you. How about you guys? Yu-Jun? Emilia? Riley?” Dexter asked as his gaze switched from person to person, but his men stood silently, with their hands by their sides and their eyes staring at the wall behind Dexter.
“How about you Tony?” Dexter asked.
“Who, me?” Tony frantically asked.
“Yeah, how to I punish blatant insubordination?” Dexter asked with a genuinely curious expression.
“I- uh- I don’t think I’m qualified to give you an answer… sir.” Tony said hesitantly.
“Oh, by no means are you unqualified. Your are an A ranked Kynigoi after all. Oh and believe it or not, this is out first time out of training as a team. So please, I’m asking you to advise me on how to deal with my subordinate.” Dexter insisted.
Tony panicked. He wanted to be anywhere but there at that moment. He looked at Camila, but her expression remained unchanged.
Tony looked at Izanagi but his gaze, much like his teammates, was at the wall behind Dexter.
“Well… you could suspend him?” Tony squealed.
Silence followed.
Tony saw that Dexter was actually thinking about what he had said. Dexter leaned back and let out a deep sigh.
“Thank you for your input Tony. I mean it. Anyway back to you Izanagi. You shall be placed on temporary suspension and shall not be permitted to join us on future missions until the suspension is lifted. Understood?” Dexter said.
“But sir-"
“BUT?” Dexter cut Izanagi off as his blue eye’s shot out incredible amounts of light, like solar flares.
The entire room felt as though it was going to catch fire if Dexter’s rage was not soothed, but as Tony turned to Dexter’s men for answers, he saw that all of them remained completely still, even though their clothes were melting off of them.
Tony returned his focus back to Dexter who was still calmly sitting on his stool, even though his eyes displayed the maelstrom of anger within him.
“I understand sir! I completely understand!” Izanagi said as the rooms temperature reached it’s highest.
Dexter’s wrath must have been calmed because the room gradually began cooling and Tony felt as though he could breath again.
“Good. Now, I’m off to explain to the council why my men are failing at everything they’re being told to do and dying in the process.” Dexter said as he took his gloves and his chips. He left the hotel room leaving Tony in a more than confused state.
What the hell was that? Tony cried internally.
“Ah well, I’m calling it in early and the couch is mine. You guys can share the floor." Emilia said as she put her head down.
“Same.” Yu-Jun said.
And soon everyone was ready to sleep.
Everyone except Tony, Camila and Izanagi, who was still standing where Dexter had left him.
Camila had gotten the only room the hotel and this was due to the fact that the hotel room they were in was her predesignated safe house and they were using it temporarily. She walked towards her room and Tony desperately followed her.
“Do you think I could sleep in your room? Just for today.” Tony pleaded.
Camila looked at the already sleeping S ranked Kynigoi, then back at Tony.
“Fine, but you sleep on the floor.” She said coldly.
“Ok, thanks!” Tony replied excitedly.
The two entered her room and Camila started undressing.
Tony turned away as to avoid seeing Camila’s nude form.
She finished, revealing to tony an adorable set of pajamas.
Tony restlessly sat on his makeshift floor bed.
“Say, Camila.”
“Yes?”
“Will you ever go out with me or should I stop trying?”
“Mmm… if you’re alive when this all ends, maybe I’ll go out with you.” Camila said.
At that moment, a strong desire to live was born inside Tony. He didn’t care about Kiochi or the S ranked weirdos in the other room. No, all that mattered to him was staying alive until end.
Tony slept peacefully that night.